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Fukuoka Hydrangea Viewing Guide 2019

Hydrangea Season is here!

Photo: Maizuru Park

Rainy season can be a drag – wet shoes, lugging an umbrella around town, being stuck indoors – but it’s not all bad. Beautiful ajisai (hydrangea), meaning “water vessel”, are in full bloom during the rainy season in Japan, where they originated. They’re considered the quintessential flower of the season, with their gradually changing colors earning them the nickname shichihenge (various changes) and making them popular as dried press flowers as well. We’ve selected ten excellent spots in Fukuoka and Kyushu to enjoy ajisai.

Nokonoshima Island Park

Catch a 10-minute ferry from Meinohama to the delightful Noko Island in mid-June to see 1,000 hydrangea plants in bloom at Nokonoshima Island Park. Some varieties grow as tall as a person! Check out the hydrangea road which stretches unbroken for 100 m with white, violet, and blue hydrangeas all around.

Uminonakamichi Seaside Park

Inside the grand 290-hectare grounds of Uminonakamichi Park is a world waiting to be discovered! Fun for all the family as you make your way through the aquarium and zoo, maybe have a stop at the hotel, and carry on until the “Ajisai Path” where 10,000 hydrangeas of 40 different varieties are in bloom from the rainy season to the start of summer. Head on over for the “Early Summer Festa” for the best time to see them!

Hakozaki Shrine

This year’s festival at Hakozaki Shrine promises 3,500 ajisai flowers of over 100 different kinds – a summer scene you definitely don’t want to miss! You can also get a ¥100 discount off your ¥300 ticket if you decide to visit the lily garden, which is set to display a total of 5,000 lilies of 30 different kinds. While viewing the gardens, tune in on Jun. 8, 9, 15 and 16 for mini concerts courtesy of a string quartet and the Seinan Jo Gakuin University orchestra. If you have a sweet tooth, why not pop round to popular local bakery “Full Full” for a selection of bread and pastries? Finally, don’t forget to visit the neighboring Ekoin Temple during the Bodaiju Festival at 11:00 on Jun. 2 (Sun.) for a chance to view bodaiju (linden) flowers for free.

Maizuru Park

The landmark Fukuoka Castle Ruins stand in Maizuru Park, which is also famous for its cherry blossoms, plum blossoms and other seasonal flowers. In June and July, deep blue varieties of hydrangeas can be seen in several areas including the woods behind Fukuoka Art Museum, the peony garden, and in front of the Otemon area from Meiji-dori Ave. They bloom along the border of Ohori Park, too. Drop by the nearby Gokoku Shrine to see yellow water lilies, which bloom during the same period.

Fukuoka City Botanical Garden

First opened in 1980, this is the city’s largest botanical garden. There are open fields and greenhouses boasting approximately 3,000 kinds of plants. Home to roughly 100 species of hydrangeas (1,000 plants in total), it’s an excellent place to see and compare the many varieties. With a 3,000 m2, two-story greenhouse, it’s also the best place to view flowers even on a rainy day.

Shiraito Falls, Itoshima

Shiraito Falls is 530 m above sea level in the south of Itoshima City. The waterfall itself is 24 m high and 14 m wide, and the spot is extremely popular in the summer as a cool and shady place to escape the heat. Here, you’ll see around 5,000 hydrangeas blooming in late June to mid-July. On June 30 (Sun.), visitors get mochimaki (tossed rice cakes) and kiribana (cut flowers) as presents. Enjoy somen nagashi (noodle catching – it’s all-you-can-eat!) and yamame salmon catching too. Free entry!

Nomiyama Kannonji Temple

Nomiyama Kannonji Temple is visited by over one million worshippers each year and is fondly called “Nomiyama-san” by locals. The best time to see the 1,500 hydrangeas in the temple grounds is from late June to early July. Flea markets are also held here every third Sunday from spring to autumn.

Senkoji Temple

Founded in 1192 by the founder of the Rinzai Buddhist sect, Eisai Zenji, Senkoji Temple is located in Kurume. The temple became known as the “hydrangea temple” thanks to the 7,000 hydrangea that grow on its grounds, in addition to 2,000 carefully shrubs planted two years ago. Don’t miss their annual hydrangea festival in which local products will be on sale and an exhibit of ceramic jizo statues and Buddhist illustrations will be on display.

Wakamatsu, Kitakyushu

The Takatoyama Park area one of Fukuoka Prefecture’s known hydrangea landmarks, and boasts of 71,300 hydrangeas in bloom during the season. Visit on Jun. 15 and 16 for their hydrangea festival, where stage events, flower pressing workshops and more will be held. Browse the gardening market nearby too, and take this opportunity to pick up local Wakamatsu souvenirs and food.

Huis Ten Bosch, Nagasaki

Once again this year this popular European theme park in Nagasaki is showing its green fingers to the world in the annual Huis Ten Bosch Hydrangea Festival. 1,250 varieties of hydrangea will dot the grounds from the start to the end of June, the most of any single place in Japan. But Huis Ten Bosch is a place of records and also boasts an 800-meter long hydrangea road, the longest of its kind in the country. This year is also the debut date of a new star attraction, the hydrangea dome! Three meters in diameter and covered in mirrors, this twinning of nature and light invites you into a rare magical world. As this, along with several others, is an indoor display, you can rest assured that you’ll be able to enjoy the festival rain or shine. Pop down to the market for all your green-fingered needs and catch live concerts every day from 14:30.

Originally written in May 2016, updated May 2019.
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NOTE: The information presented here was gathered and summarized by the Fukuoka Now staff. While we have done our best to check for accuracy, there might be errors and details may have changed. If you notice any errors or changes, please contact us. This report was originally written in May 2016.